Macy’s goes global

By Allison EnrightEditor

The retailer starts selling to consumers in 91 countries outside the United States.

Macy’s Inc. today kicked off international sales to online shoppers in 91 countries.

Consumers can place orders at the retail chain’s Macys.com and Bloomingdales.com e-commerce sites. U.S.-based shoppers also can ship gifts bought through Macys.com or Bloomingdales.com to customers in those 91 countries (see the list below).

“International shipping will enable Macy’s to build upon its existing customer base beyond the United States by exposing our product offerings abroad,” says Kent Anderson, president of Macys.com. The company says international shoppers accounted for 36 million web site visits to Macys.com last year. Macy’s Inc. is No. 17 in Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide.

Bruce Berman, president of Bloomingdale’s Direct, says Bloomingdale’s stores already attract international shoppers and that its international e-retail capabilities will further raise Bloomingdale’s profile. “International shipping will intensify the reputation and presence of our company abroad,” he says.

Upon visiting Macys.com, international shoppers click a “change country” button at the bottom of the home page, where they can then select a country from a drop-down list. At Bloomingdales.com, visitors click an “international shopping” button to take them to a similar selection page. Once the consumer selects a country from the list, merchandise includes prices in the selected country’s currency. During the checkout process, the site displays the current exchange rate, shipping costs and all applicable taxes, duties and tariffs. Not all consumers, though, will see content in their local languages, as all site communication remains in English.

Consumers can pay via the Visa and MasterCard payment networks, and expect in-stock items to arrive within four to 13 business days, the retailer says. Macy’s, however, does not guarantee arrival within that time. Customers who want to return purchases can e-mail an international customer service center for details on how to return items by mail. Returns must be made within 180 days of purchase and refunds are provided in the same currency and at the same exchange rate as the original purchase.

Macy’s Inc. joins a growing group of U.S.-based e-retailers taking their business global. Earlier this month, Barneys New York Inc., No. 222 in the Top 500 Guide, started offering its products to customers in 90 countries. Additionally, Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s (No. 25) youth-focused version of its Pottery Barn, PBTeen, and men’s multichannel apparel retailer Jos. A Bank Clothiers Inc. (No. 225), launched international e-commerce programs in May.

Macy’s hired global e-commerce services provider FiftyOne Global Ecommerce to handle such logistical tasks as calculating exchange rates, taxes and tariffs, and also shipping. FiftyOne, which provides similar services to Barneys, Williams-Sonoma and Jos. A Bank , says its annual sales more than tripled from $25 million in 2009 to $77 million in 2010.